The ring

Here are some pictures of the ring, per Deborah's request.





I would probably do any new potential new design in gold. But I will see how much it would be to do white gold, I just don't have any white or silver jewelry, so I'm not sure if that is what I want to do.

Redesign

A few years ago my sister-in-law, Jeanne, gave me a ring. It is a really nice deep green emerald with two small diamonds. The ring is in a setting that is a bit heavy for my style and I've been thinking about having it reset. I think I've finally found a couple of rings I really like, I just don't know which one I like best.

weekend report

We spend Friday night eating leftovers and watched the tv.

Saturday we got up early and drove to our camping spot. We always reserve both Friday and Saturday, sometimes just go early on Saturday morning. I still wasn't feeling well, a stupid migraine. So we didn't stay overnight, just until about 7:30 last night. It was a great day. I pretty much spent 90% of my time on a beach chair reading trashy gossip rags and watching dolphins. Lots and lots of dolphins.

Then we came home and slept in and enjoyed not packing up and wishing I could wash my hands.

This afternoon we saw The Simpson's Movie. It was funny. Not highly recommended, but if you are a Simpson's fan, you won't want to miss it.

Sad News

I have to withdraw my candidacy for public office, specifically the office of President of the United States of America. Why you say? You are doing so well in the polls and we just love you on the debates....

3 words.

GAME SHOW CONTESTANT

As I posted previously, I decided to do the game show audition circuit. One question they ask, "Are you running for public office?" I said no. Since my campaign doesn't have the same recognition as say, Hillary Clinton or Paul Thompson, I didn't think it'd matter if I quietly withdrew my name from the hat. Theoretically, I could go back into the race at a later date, but for now I'm not running for President.

I'm sorry to disappoint my supporters, truly I am very sorry.

But GAME SHOW!!! Me on the TV (again) this time I will be VICTORIOUS!!!

I'll post all the details in the next few weeks. For sure sometime after next Wednesday.

Forget the lryics

I auditioned for "Don't Forget the Lyrics" today. It is a karaoke style game show, you sing missing song lyrics to popular tunes. Each song you finish correctly you win money, up to $1,00,000.

The initial part of the interview consisted of a test with 24 songs with blank lines following a string of lyrics. Songs like Summer Night from Grease and We are the Champions by Queen or I'm Just a Country Boy by John Denver.

Summer Nights
Summer lovin' had me a blast
Summer lovin' happened so fast
I met a girl crazy for me
Met a boy cute as can be
____ ____ ____ _____

If you know it you know it right off. I got about half way through and then went back to the tougher songs. I'd sing them in my head, closing my eyes trying to come up with the next line. Some were really a challenge. It did not help that that woman next to me was finished and quite chatty with the dude handing out and grading the tests. She also texed very noisily, like beep beep beep, beep beep beep beeeeeep. ANNOYING. I at one point asked if there was any way she could turn off the beeps, as it was very distracting. She got annoyed with me and huffed back, I'm almost done. Whatever, even I know how to text in silence. I kind of hated her by that point.

Anyway, I was still lamenting on missing lyrics I couldn't figure out when the other woman in the room (who came in after me) turned in her answers, and passed.

I finished up what I could and left a few blank. I sat back down and waited. I'd been through this before, I was ready for the news. Shockingly, I passed.

The other woman that was waiting had driven in from the OC and made it to Hollywood in 30 minutes! We discussed alternate routes and various driving in LA.

The three of us were interviewed together. Loud Texter went first. She had been practicing what she would say, "metal plate in my head crazy cat lady" in the waiting room. She did well, saying that she had metal plate in her head and she has 4 cats. The "judges" banter back and forth with her and then ask her to sing. She asks what we all think, name a country star. Everyone names one, I said Shaina Twain (I don't listen to country) she looks at me and says OVERRATED. The judges finally tell her to just pick something she likes. She asks if she can sing Patsy Cline. They say yes sing what you like. So she sang. Very well. She said she was nervous and probably sounded bad, but she didn't get nervous signing in front of 20,000 people.

Next up Fast OC Driver. She works doing event planning disney or something. She is also a professional singer. Great. 2 profession singers and me. I'm not sure what she sang, but it was good.

Now me. I don't even know what I said, something about make up brushes and egg art. They didn't know what egg art was, so I explained, poorly. I sang the first verse of Frank Mills. WTF is Frank Mills? Hair soundtrack. I did ok. Not great, especially when paired with two professional singers.

Fast OC Driver 100% dominated the focus, she had a very big personality. I'm sure you'll see her on the tv.

They said they'd need to discuss and sent us out to the waiting room. The judges returned and said they'd review everything and get back to us in 24 hours. Then they asked Loud Texter "since you've been here so long to stay and get you on camera". They said to me, we'll call you in 24 hours and told me to leave. Fast OC Driver did not come out after me, so one can only assume she too was asked to stay for the camera.

Um, don't call me, we'll call you. Whatever I wasn't too excited about, I don't want to sing karaoke in my everyday life, so not singing on national television is just fine with me.

I'm glad I did it. It'll help to have the butterflies out before the audition on Thursday for SHOPPING! I can totally do bargain shopping and answer pop trivia questions! I'll be close to home, relaxed after work, and not straight from work! Shopping is way more my speed.

Felt Club

Today was the big XL Felt Club craft fair. They've been around for a few years, just doing small 15 or so artists at a small venue. This time around they went large, XL. Sponsorship, dozens of crafters, gift bags...

I was lured in by the gift bag (250 total to be given away) and my friend Rose and I met up at 10, the show opened at 11:00. We headed over and planned to drive by and then go find coffee and come back about 11:00. At 10:19 there were about 125 people in line. We parked and waited in line for 45 minutes. By the end the line looped up then down the street beyond where we could see.

We got the gift bags! Heavy bags with free samples, books, an Izze drink (YUM, available at Target), buttons, tons of stuff!

The venue was CRAZY, all those hundreds of people and the hundred or so vendors. We were over it by 11:25 and left. It was 100% worth it. Just the gift bag alone.

I applied for the show and wasn't accepted. I understand why, it really isn't my genre of art. And having been there today, I'm really glad I wasn't accepted. It would have been great to get that much exposure, but damn, so totally overwhelming with that many people. So it all worked out just fine.

I'll still apply for the winter show.

Game Show Summer 2.0

I was laid off from my job on Halloween Day, 2001. I was one of many who lost their jobs post 9/11/01, collecting unemployment and wondering if I'd find a job.

You can watch a lot of television with an unemployment check and rent control. I decided to seize the opportunity and become a game show contestant.

My initial success was with the assistance of a friend of a friend who was a game show talent coordinator. She hooked me up with an audition for the Comedy Central show Beat the Geeks!

I was in! It was super fun to tape the show. Beat the Geeks was a traditional buzz-in trivia show. Men are statistically proven to be quicker with the buzzer finger, they'll buzz first think later, woman think then buzz. They told the girls not to think. I was eliminated in the first round. I did walk away with a nice parting gift, a jansport backpack! Whoot.

After Beat the Geeks I decided to take it national. I auditioned for Hollywood Squares, I did not pass the test. The Weakest Link, failed again. The Chair, hosted by John McEnroe, pass! Then the show was canceled. I also tried out for a few more, nothing panned out.

So now we come to Game Show Summer 2.0, I shall be victorious.

My friend Rose and I are going to team up for a show that is a cross between The Price Is Right and Antqiue's Road show or something. We need a team name and might go with Jane's Girls. I'm not sure. We met on the internet forever ago on the Jane Magazine (rip) message boards. I sometimes forget that is how we met, cause now we're just regular friends, not internet friends. They'll love us and call us in for the audition next Friday. They will!

The other audition is for the show "Temptation" it is already a show in Australia so I read up on it and it seems to be a test of your ability to resist temptation, but also a buzz-in quiz show. The temptation being a 42 inch HDTV for $22 or something even better, the one with the most money at the end of the show has the opportunity to win one big big prize, car, trip... or come back next week to win even bigger and better stuff. The questions are all pop culture, count me in.

I applied for that Fox singing show "Don't Forget the Lyrics". One million bucks for lyrics taking up space in your brain. Chances are, I've got them up there, they are just waiting to burst out in song. And I like Wayne Brady. I hope they contact me.

Tune in later....

Buyer's Remorse?

I bought the jacket. I have a tiny bit of buyer's remorse. I will either keep it and call it a "one year at my new job" present to myself. Or return it. I'm not sure it is worth the price.

I also purchased some face cleanser at Lush. Rene provided great customer service and told me all about the Lush concept and line of products.

Below is me in the jacket, what do you think? Not that you can even tell with the quality of the image. I'll find a cute outfit to wear it with and take a better picture over the weekend.

Also more pictures of the weekend with my sister and her family, aka vacation #3.

Bits of info

Random:
Frequently while driving I think I hear the ice cream man, then I realize it is my cell phone ringing.
I love my MP3 player, especially the radio.

TV I'm watching
Age of Love aka Cougars vs. Kittens. - Horrible, horrible show. Yet I still watch.
So You Think You Can Dance aka SYTYCD - Awesome, I've not missed an episode in 3 years.
Days of Our Lives - We watch it everyday, both of us. It used to be my must get in before DH gets home, but now if I even think of watching it alone I'll have to watch it twice.
Top Chef - Still to many players. And just when I learn that Padma is married to Rushdie, they announce their separation.

Of course there are many more shows, like Beverly Hills 90210, the Daily Show and Colbert that are always on the line up.

Internet fun:
A Quiverfull web board. WTF is quiverful? You know the Duggar's, the ones on TLC with the 16 kids and growing? The super Christians who leave their fertility up to God and teach me about modesty? Those are the quiverfull. I know it is probably wrong that I read their message board and discuss at length various topics with my own message board. But it is so wrong it has to be right.

Activities:
Last night we went to World Music night at the zoo. It was awesome. The Ibex were fighting and it was like a fantastic boxing match with about 70 people gasping as their horns cracked against each other. And zebra sex, you really can't go wrong. Well, yes you can, if it is you that is having sex with the zebra. Maybe even more wrong than my mocking of the Quiverfull.

Dinner:
Tonight we are having halibut, sea salt and olive oil oven baked fries and a salad. Friday we are having veggie halibut burgers and artichokes.

Art:
I'm not making any. I need that to change so I don't stress out come September for my two big huge back to back art show weekends.

Family:
My sister came to visit. Go here to see pictures. (vacation #3)

And sadly, Matt's sister was sentenced to prison yesterday. My heart breaks for everyone involved. We hope that everything will work out ok with her children. We both wish we were closer and at the same time we are glad we are so far away. She will probably serve 2.5 years but she received a maximum of 15 years.

Shopping:
I want this. I would wear it with 1 million different things. I might go to see it in person at the store.

We bought the Honda Fit. I'd be way more excited about it if it was say, in my parking spot. Rather it is on a ship in the port of LA. Within 6 days it will be in my spot. I can't wait.

Honda Fit

We are buying a brand spanking new car on Monday. The tv told me that Monday is the best day of the week to purchase a new vehicle. It is the slowest day of the week at the dealership and you have the most bargaining power.

Soon this will be ours.